Press Releases

Washington, D.C. — House Democrats’ Litigation Task Force Chair, Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jamie Raskin, and Co-Chair, Assistant Leader Joe Neguse, issued the following statement after a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of International Trade unanimously blocked President Donald Trump’s effort to impose sweeping and chaotic tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). In their ruling, the judges, appointed to the federal bench by Presidents Reagan, Obama, and Trump, adopted the arguments House Democrats made in their amicus brief in the case: The emergency powers granted to the President by Congress in IEEPA do not include the authority to impose tariffs.   

“House Democrats took our fight against President Trump’s unlawful use of IEEPA to impose chaotic on-again, off-again tariffs to court—and yesterday, the Constitution prevailed and the American people won. We’ll continue defending Congress’s authority to regulate international commerce against the administration's attacks on the rule of law, the separation of powers and a coherent trade system,” said Raskin and Neguse. 

On May 13th, the Task Force Co-Chairs were joined by House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Ranking Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Gregory Meeks, and Ranking Member of the Committee on Ways and Means, Richard E. Neal, in filing an amicus brief on behalf of 148 Members of Congress, in the matter of Oregon, et al. v. Trump, et al, which was brought by 12 States’ Attorneys General. House Democrats’ brief noted that the power to impose tariffs is entrusted to Congress as part of its exclusive Article I legislative power, and argued that the Congress did not delegate its tariff authority to the President under IEEPA. 

Read more about this filing HERE.

The Litigation and Rapid Response Task Force first took the unprecedented step of filing a trial court amicus brief to defend American consumers from predatory lenders and bad actors. They were successful in this case after a federal judge blocked efforts to dismantle the CFPB, citing the group’s argument multiple times throughout the 112-page ruling. The Task Force was also able to effectively prevent the Trump Administration from dismantling the Department of Education, filing another such brief that led to a federal court demanding the immediate rehiring of unlawfully terminated staff. House Democrats have so far filed eight amicus briefs in cases against Administration lawlessness. 

For more information on House Democrats efforts to protect Americans against the unlawful actions of the Trump Administration, visit litigationandresponse.house.gov.